Saat ini, di atas platform pengujian talisman, energi dari talisman yang diadu dengan milik Liu Chun jelas kalah jauh. Dalam pengujian beberapa talisman pertama, talisman buatan Liu Chun menang dengan selisih yang cukup mencolok.
Namun, mulai dari talisman keenam, energi talisman Liu Chun mengalami penurunan drastis. Meskipun bagi orang awam penurunan ini mungkin tampak wajar—mungkin karena kekuatannya tidak cukup sehingga wajar jika ia kehabisan tenaga saat meracik talisman—Lin Xiao dan Jiang Youfu, yang sangat tahu bahwa kekuatan Liu Chun tidak seperti itu, merasa ada sesuatu yang sangat janggal.
Apakah benar ada seseorang yang berani berbuat curang di Konferensi Master Talisman?
Selama beberapa hari terakhir di Kota Banxiang, mereka berdua telah mendengar banyak cerita mengenai keadilan Konferensi Master Talisman. Pada dasarnya, konferensi ini dianggap sebagai ajang yang diadakan oleh faksi-faksi besar untuk meningkatkan kekuatan mereka sendiri serta standar spesialisasi di Wilayah Roh Utara dan Selatan. Tujuannya adalah untuk memimpin tren peracikan talisman di kedua wilayah tersebut dan menyaring lebih banyak talenta di bidang ini. Oleh karena itu, segala bentuk kecurangan atau sabotase dalam kompetisi sangatlah dibenci.
Mungkinkah ada yang salah dengan platform pengujian talisman itu?
Tak lama kemudian, pengujian di platform mencapai talisman kesembilan. Tepat saat Lin Xiao dan Jiang Youfu dipenuhi keraguan, di tribun tempat para ahli hebat duduk, seorang pria paruh baya berwajah persegi dengan fitur wajah tegas, mengenakan pakaian cokelat tua yang tampak seperti seragam sekte, sedang mengamati para master talisman yang meracik di bawah dengan saksama.
Tiba-tiba, pria itu mengerutkan kening, mengangkat pandangannya, dan menatap ke arah platform pengujian talisman paling depan. Ia lalu memberi isyarat ke belakang. Seorang kultivator tahap Golden Core, yang mengenakan pakaian dengan warna serupa namun detail berbeda, melangkah maju dan menundukkan kepala untuk bertanya, "Apa perintah Anda, Yang Mulia Talisman Lianyue?"
Pria yang dipanggil Yang Mulia Talisman Lianyue itu menunjuk ke arah platform pengujian talisman dan berkata, "Seseorang telah mengutak-atik Platform Pengujian Talisman Nomor 79. Segera periksa."
Mendengar itu, kultivator Golden Core tersebut terkejut dan tanpa sadar melirik ke arah platform pengujian, lalu segera menjawab dengan hormat, "Baik!"
Setelah berkata demikian, ia segera berbalik dan terbang dengan pedangnya menuju platform pengujian. Pada saat yang sama, ia mengirim transmisi suara kepada personel manajemen Konferensi Master Talisman lainnya. Saat itu, ada banyak penonton di udara, namun karena batasan kecepatan dan fakta bahwa banyak tokoh besar duduk di bawah, orang-orang tidak berani terbang sembarangan. Melihat seseorang tiba-tiba melesat dari bawah dengan kecepatan luar biasa, perhatian semua orang pun tertuju padanya. Mereka ingin melihat siapa gerangan yang begitu berani.
Namun, kultivator Golden Core yang tampak sangat berani di mata kerumunan itu, saat ini sedang menggerutu dalam hati: *Siapa yang sudah memakan nyali beruang dan macan tutul hingga berani mengutak-atik Konferensi Master Talisman? Mereka pasti sudah bosan hidup.*
Ketika ia muncul di Platform Pengujian Talisman Nomor 79, kultivator yang bertanggung jawab mengaktifkan talisman Liu Chun menatapnya—atau lebih tepatnya, menatap pakaiannya—dengan keheranan, dan tubuhnya tanpa sadar gemetar. Melihat itu, kultivator Golden Core tersebut bahkan tidak perlu bertanya. Ia langsung menyambar kantong talisman dari tangan penguji, mengeluarkan talisman yang tersisa, dan memeriksanya. Ia menemukan bahwa talisman itu ternoda oleh bubuk hitam yang aneh.
Ia menyentuh bubuk hitam itu, dan ekspresinya seketika berubah drastis! Ia segera melirik jumlah talisman yang memenuhi syarat yang tercatat di kedua sisi platform pengujian, lalu berkata kepada personel manajemen lain yang bergegas datang setelah mendengar kabar tersebut, "Segel platform pengujian talisman ini dan jaga semuanya tetap seperti apa adanya. Juga, dua orang ini," ia melirik kedua penguji di platform dan melanjutkan, "Bawa mereka berdua pergi dan isolasi dari dunia luar. Mereka tidak boleh melakukan kontak dengan siapa pun."
Personel manajemen yang datang melihat pakaiannya dan tidak mengajukan satu pertanyaan pun. Mereka setuju dengan tegas dan segera melaksanakan instruksinya, menyegel Platform Pengujian Talisman Nomor 79 serta menangkap kedua penguji tersebut. Tindakan mereka begitu cepat hingga para penonton bahkan tidak sempat bereaksi. Platform Pengujian Talisman Nomor 79 sudah kosong dan disegel dengan sepuluh talisman pengunci.
Melihat ini, Lin Xiao dan Jiang Youfu juga terkejut. Mungkinkah Konferensi Master Talisman menyadari bahwa talisman milik Elder Liu telah disabotase? Hanya setelah mereka semua pergi, para penonton di luar arena mulai berdiskusi. Keduanya segera memasang telinga untuk mendengarkan situasi.
"Hei, apa yang terjadi? Mengapa mereka tiba-tiba datang, menangkap orang mereka sendiri, dan menyegel platform pengujian itu?"
"Ini juga pertama kalinya aku datang melihat Konferensi Master Talisman, jadi aku tidak tahu. Apakah ada senior berpengalaman yang bisa menjelaskan kepada kami?"
Mungkin karena sebutan 'senior berpengalaman', begitu suaranya reda, beberapa suara segera bersahutan, "Kalian tidak tahu, ya? Konferensi Master Talisman ini sangat ketat dan tidak akan membiarkan kecurangan terjadi. Jelas sekali..."
"Jelas sekali ada yang berbuat curang dan mereka tertangkap. Konferensi Master Talisman pasti akan menyelidikinya dengan ketat. Hanya saja, aku tidak tahu apakah master talisman tadi yang berbuat curang sendiri, atau lawannya yang menyabotase dia."
"Apakah kalian melihat senior berbaju cokelat tadi? Itu seragam sekte dari Sekte Talisman! Kita tidak perlu khawatir. Dengan mereka turun tangan langsung untuk menyelidiki, masalah ini pasti akan terungkap..."
Setelah mendengar bahwa orang tadi berasal dari Sekte Talisman, terlepas dari apa yang dipikirkan para penonton dalam hati, mereka semua menunjukkan rasa hormat yang mendalam di permukaan. Bagaimanapun, Sekte Talisman adalah sekte besar nomor satu yang namanya bergema di seluruh Wilayah Roh Utara dan Selatan. Tentu saja, itu hanya sekte nomor satu di Wilayah Roh Utara dan Selatan, bukan di seluruh dunia kultivasi. Namun, bagi sebagian besar kultivator di wilayah tersebut yang berjuang seumur hidup hanya untuk mencapai Nascent Soul, Sekte Talisman adalah eksistensi paling puncak.
Dibandingkan dengan kultivator Wilayah Roh Selatan, kultivator Wilayah Roh Utara jauh lebih akrab dengan Sekte Talisman karena gerbang sekte mereka terletak di Wilayah Roh Utara. Saat itu, banyak kultivator Wilayah Roh Utara mulai dengan antusias memamerkan keunggulan regional mereka kepada orang-orang di sekitar.
"Kalian orang-orang dari Wilayah Roh Selatan tidak tahu, tapi Sekte Talisman sangat kuat. Dulu, saat sekte kami memasuki alam rahasia, itu bersama dengan Sekte Talisman..."
"Cih, apa hebatnya itu? Aku punya saudara yang berada di Sekte Talisman, dan dia bahkan memberiku beberapa talisman tingkat tinggi!"
Setelah mendengarkan berbagai sanjungan terhadap Sekte Talisman dan ocehan tidak jelas lainnya, Lin Xiao dan Jiang Youfu menyimpulkan beberapa informasi berguna dari kekacauan itu. Selama talisman Liu Chun sendiri tidak bermasalah, mengingat keadilan Konferensi Master Talisman, kompetisinya seharusnya tidak terpengaruh. Bahkan jika hasil selanjutnya dibatalkan, Liu Chun masih memiliki lima talisman memenuhi syarat yang tidak bermasalah sebelumnya. Setidaknya, ia masih bisa dihitung dalam kelompok yang memenuhi syarat untuk menjalani perbandingan kualitas talisman.
Singkatnya, seharusnya masih ada peluang. Interlude ini tidak memengaruhi situasi keseluruhan Konferensi Master Talisman. Selain Platform Pengujian Talisman Nomor 79 yang disegel dan hilangnya dua penguji, semua acara terus berjalan dengan tertib.
At this moment on the talisman testing platform, the energy of the talismans competing against Liu Chun's was clearly lacking in comparison. In the tests of the first few talismans, Liu Chun's talismans won by a rather obvious margin.
However, starting from the sixth talisman, the energy of Liu Chun's talismans experienced a cliff-like drop. Although to ordinary people, this decline might seem understandable—perhaps his strength was insufficient, making it normal for him to run out of steam while crafting talismans.
But Lin Xiao and Jiang Youfu, who knew very well that Liu Chun's strength was not like this, felt that something was very wrong.
Could someone really successfully tamper with things at the Talisman Master Conference?
These past few days in Banxiang City, the two of them had heard many accounts regarding the fairness of the Talisman Master Conference.
Fundamentally, this Talisman Master Conference could be considered an event held by the major factions to increase their own strength and the specialized standards of the Northern and Southern Spirit Realms.
The purpose was to lead the talisman-crafting trends in the Northern and Southern Spirit Realms and to screen for more talisman-crafting talents.
Therefore, any attempts to cheat or tamper with the competition were deeply abhorred.
Could it be that something went wrong with the talisman testing platform?
Before long, the testing on the platform reached the ninth talisman.
Just as Lin Xiao and Jiang Youfu were filled with doubts, at the stands where the mighty experts of the venue sat, a middle-aged man with a square face and regular features, dressed in dark brown clothes that looked like the uniform of some sect, was sternly watching the talisman masters crafting talismans below.
Suddenly, this man frowned, raised his eyes, and looked at the foremost talisman testing platform.
Then he raised his hand to signal behind him. A Golden Core stage cultivator, wearing clothes of the same color but with different details, stepped forward and bowed his head to ask:
"What are your orders, Talisman Venerable Lianyue?"
The man addressed as Talisman Venerable Lianyue pointed in the direction of the talisman testing platform and said to him:
"Someone has tampered with Talisman Testing Platform Number 79. Go and investigate immediately."
Hearing this, the Golden Core cultivator was somewhat surprised and subconsciously glanced toward the testing platform, then immediately replied respectfully:
"Yes!"
After saying that, he immediately turned around and flew on his sword toward the testing platform. At the same time, he sent voice transmissions to the other management personnel of the Talisman Master Conference.
At this time, there were also very many spectators in the air, but due to speed limits and the fact that so many big shots were sitting below, people did not dare to fly around casually.
Seeing someone suddenly shoot up from below and fly incredibly fast, everyone's attention was inevitably drawn to him. They wanted to see which brave warrior was so bold.
However, the Golden Core cultivator, who appeared very bold in the eyes of the crowd above, was currently complaining in his heart: I really don't know who ate a bear's heart and a leopard's gall to dare tamper with the Talisman Master Conference. They must be tired of living.
When he appeared on Talisman Testing Platform Number 79, the cultivator responsible for activating Liu Chun's talismans looked at him—or more accurately, at his attire—with some astonishment, and his body subconsciously shuddered.
Seeing this, the Golden Core cultivator didn't even need to ask. He directly snatched the talisman bag from the tester's hand, took out the remaining talisman inside, and took a look. He found that it was stained with some strange black powder.
He reached out and touched the black powder, and his expression instantly changed drastically!
He quickly glanced at the number of qualified talismans recorded on both sides of the testing platform, and then said to the other management personnel of the Talisman Master Conference who had rushed over upon hearing the news:
"Seal off this talisman testing platform and preserve everything inside exactly as it is. Also, these two people," he glanced at the two testers on the platform and continued,
"Take them both away and isolate them from the outside world. They are not to have contact with anyone."
The arriving management personnel saw his attire and didn't ask a single question. They decisively agreed and then completely followed his instructions, sealing off Talisman Testing Platform Number 79 and capturing the two testers to take them away.
Their actions were so fast that the spectators didn't even have time to react. Talisman Testing Platform Number 79 was already empty and had been sealed with ten lockdown talismans.
Seeing this, Lin Xiao and Jiang Youfu were also somewhat surprised. Could it be that the Talisman Master Conference discovered that Elder Liu's talismans had been tampered with?
Only after they had all left did the spectators outside the arena begin to discuss among themselves. The two hastily pricked up their ears to listen to the situation.
"Hey, what's going on? Why did they suddenly come over, arrest their own people, and seal off that testing platform?"
"This is also my first time coming to see the Talisman Master Conference, so I don't know. Is there any experienced and knowledgeable senior who can explain it to us?"
Perhaps because of his phrase 'experienced and knowledgeable senior', as soon as his voice fell, several voices immediately rose one after another:
"You guys don't know this, right? This Talisman Master Conference is very strict and won't allow any tampering to occur. Obviously..."
"Obviously, someone tampered with things, and they got caught. The Talisman Master Conference is definitely going to investigate strictly. I just don't know if the talisman master from just now cheated himself, or if his opponent tampered with him."
"Did you see that senior in the brown clothes just now? That's the sect uniform of the Talisman Sect! We don't need to worry. With them personally stepping in to investigate, this matter will definitely be brought to light..."
Upon hearing that the person just now was from the Talisman Sect, regardless of what the onlookers thought in their hearts, they all showed profound respect on the surface.
After all, the Talisman Sect was the number one major sect whose name resonated throughout both the Northern and Southern Spirit Realms.
Of course, it was only the number one sect in the Northern and Southern Spirit Realms, not the entire cultivation world.
But for the vast majority of cultivators in the Northern and Southern Spirit Realms, who would struggle their entire lives just to form a Nascent Soul, the Talisman Sect was the most top-tier existence.
Compared to the cultivators of the Southern Spirit Realm, the cultivators of the Northern Spirit Realm were much more familiar with the Talisman Sect, because the Talisman Sect's mountain gate was located within the Northern Spirit Realm.
At this time, many Northern Spirit Realm cultivators began to crazily express their regional superiority to those around them.
"You people from the Southern Spirit Realm don't know, but the Talisman Sect is incredibly powerful. Once, when our sect entered a secret realm, it was together with the Talisman Sect..."
"Tch, what does that count for? I have a brother who is in the Talisman Sect, and he even gave me several high-level talismans!"
...
After listening to a bunch of flattery toward the Talisman Sect and some random nonsense, Lin Xiao and Jiang Youfu summarized some useful information from the mess.
As long as Liu Chun's talismans themselves had no issues, given the fairness of the Talisman Master Conference, his competition shouldn't be affected.
Even if his subsequent results were invalidated, Liu Chun still had five qualified talismans that had no issues previously. At the very least, he could be counted in the group of five qualified talismans to undergo a talisman quality comparison.
In short, there should still be a chance.
This interlude did not affect the overall situation of the Talisman Master Conference. Aside from Talisman Testing Platform Number 79 being sealed off and the loss of two testers, all events continued to proceed in an orderly manner.
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